Vegan Tofu Tikka Masala

Vegan Tofu Tikka Masala

Tikka Masala is the most commonly ordered gravy at most Indian restaurants. This quick tikka masala  gravy comes together under half an hour, while the tofu pieces bake beautifully in my air fryer. The extra gravy can be frozen to thaw and reuse on a busy week night, when the spice monster strikes again! Make this quick, delicious and belly warming comfort dish to eat up with some roti or, brown Basmati rice.

This yummy vegan Tofu Tikka Masala recipe is,

• Non dairy
• Glutenfree
• Low fat
• No eggs
• Contains the goodness of coconut milk

INGREDIENTS

We need,

For the Tikka Masala Sauce –

1 large Brown Onion, peeled and roughly chopped

8 Garlic cloves, peeled

1 inch piece fresh Ginger root

1 – 2 Green Chillies (depending on how hot you want your gravy to be)

2 Teaspoons Vegetable Oil

4 – 5 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1 Cup Vegetable Stock or,  1 Cup plain water

1/2 Cup Water, optional (may not need all)

1/3 Cup Coconut Milk

1 Teaspoon Turmeric

1.5 Teaspoons Garam Masala 

2 Tablespoons Cashew Creme, optional but highly recommended to dollop on

Salt, to taste

2 Tablespoons Coriander Leaves & Stalks, minced finely.

 

For the Tofu –

2 Cups Medium Tofu, sliced into thin triangles or long brick shaped pieces.

Salt + Black Pepper, ground to sprinkle over the tofu pieces.

 

DIRECTIONS

For the Tofu pieces –

1. Drain the tofu well in a clean kitchen towel.

2. Sprinkle salt and black pepper powder and gently rub over the tofu pieces.

3. Place in a single layer on a baking tray, or in the air fryer basket.

4. If baking in a conventional oven, preheat oven to 200 degrees C and bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

5.  If air frying the tofu, then bake at 180 degrees C for 15 – 18 minutes.

Set aside on a plate.

 

For the Tikka Masala gravy sauce –

1. Add the onion, chilies, garlic and ginger to a food chopper and process u til smooth.

2. Heat oil in a deep pan.

3. Add the wet onion – garlic – ginger mixture to the pan and cook on low heat until the raw smell evaporates.

4. Stir in the tomato paste and mix well.

5. Add in the turmeric powder, salt and Garam Masala powder.

6. Add the vegetable stock if using on add plain water and mix well.

6. Cook this mixture on low heat for 15 – 20 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble up. Check for consistency and add a few more tablespoons of water if desired.

7. Take off the hob and mix in the coconut milk.

8. Gently drop in the baked salt & pepper tofu into the gravy. Mix gently

9. Add dollops of cashew creme over the vegan Tofu Tikka Masala gravy.

Garnish with coriander leaves & stalks if using.

Another option for garnishing – 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves, commonly available from ethnic Indian grocery stores.

If not wanting to use tofu, other healthy options to use instead include,

1) 2 cups of grilled vegetables ( a combination/ mix of bell peppers, carrot, brown mushrooms, sweet potatoes, aubergine, zucchini work well).

2) 1.5 cups of canned chickpeas well rinsed and 1 cup of washed spinach or kale leaves, torn into bite sized pieces added to the gravy and cooked until wilted make for a protein and fiber rich meal full of green goodness.

 

This recipe is off to the following link-ups,

What’s for dinner

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